giving up on the apt search

faycat

I think after almost 2 months of earnest apartment hunting in Ft. Greene, I may have to face reality and give up. I'm just feeling like it's impossible, like there's just nothing available. Is that typical for this neighborhood? We had our heart set on a place, were the first to put down a holding deposit, but the landlord inexplicably turned us down despite strong and more than sufficient salaries and a really ridiculous amount of financial information. I've seen easily more than 20 apartments. I just don't know if I have it in me anymore. I'm bummed. I really love Ft. Greene, but I guess it's just not in the stars for me.

But I do have a general question for those of you who have recently rented. Is it really normal for landlords to go through your finances with a fine-tooth comb? I moved into my current place 5 years ago and an employment letter, credit report, and a couple of paystubs were pretty much all I needed. Now I'm being asked for 3 months of bank statements, 6 months of rent receipts or cancelled checks, last year's tax return, 2 months of pay stubs, 3 references. Is this normal? The last realtor actually asked me about specifics on my bank statement, like about specific purchases! When I explained to him that my father just passed away and I paid for some of the funeral expenses, but got the money back when his annuity cashed out, he actually asked me if purchases that large are typical for me. Yes, my dad dies monthly and I have to pay for his funeral monthly. It didn't seem to help that the next month's statement reflected a giant deposit from an inheritance. I really don't know what landlords want anymore, I'm guessing I can't satisfy them. Someone please tell me that this landlord and realtor were just whackjobs.

boygabriel

Seems like your recent experiences were a little on the extreme side. Apartment hunting is about as exasperating as it gets.

anonymous

blame it on gentrification

anonymous

I am a real estate agent and have tenants; the most they should ask for is 3 recent paystubs, 3 rent receipts, copy of state ID, CREDIT REPORT, bank statement and year or two tax returns - last two optional. I can't see any reason to ask anyone about purchases they made or how that information helps in the process of identifying a good tenant. Real estate creates or exposes strange individuals.

bifteck

Holy crap, that sounds REALLY invasive and unnecessary. I can't believe they picked you over like that!

And, I'm really sorry you weren't able to find an apartment in FG. Have you been looking in CH, Wallabout and Bed-Stuy as well? They're all worthy places to check!

faycat

I have seriously thought about Clinton Hill, I really like it there, but my concern is that although proximity to the C train is great there (good for my commute), I really want to be near the R train as well, which gets me to my mom more easily, and gets her to me. This is the biggest reason that I want to move; with my dad gone now, I want to make it easy to get to my mom's and vice versa many times a week (she lives in Bay Ridge). So Ft. Greene was just a perfect choice. Right now I'm in Williamsburg and I have to take 3 trains to get to her, it often takes over an hour.

My boyfriend was really upset about how invasive they were being with our financials. When the realtor started grilling me about purchases relating to the funeral and about a big deposit that came from my dad's annuity, I was (understandly, I think) upset, and my boyfriend was pissed. I don't know if it was coming from the realtor or the landlord. We definitely make more than enough money and have good credit, so I just have to assume there was some other reason we weren't considered desirable, and they were just looking for excuses in our bank statements.

MOD

Wow I am really surprised they would be so invasive.
I don't think my bank statement/purchases are anyone's business but my own. They can know how much money I have, but not what I purchase!
Is this really true?? Do people ask for this?
Why should I give my tax returns??

anonymous

Check the elliman.com site for apts in that area, if I could help you I would but I am focused on Bed Stuy at the time. Don't give up.

faycat

Most listings I've seen recently ask for at least 1 or 2 bank statements, which I had never been asked for when I've rented in the past. Same for tax returns, they ask for the first 2 pages, which show what last year's salary was, or for last year's W-2. I was really surprised when we started looking and so many different realtors/landlords/places were all asking for so many things. If they were so concerned about whether I pay my rent on time, they could have just called my current landlord, who can tell them that I've never been late in 5 years. They had her number but just didn't seem to want to use it. They'd rather call me or my boyfriend a dozen times to ask about specifics on our bank statments. I feel really uncomfortable with that but I worry that there's no way around it anymore.

daver

My last apartment wanted last years tax return, 3 pay stubs, and a social security card. Which I assume was for legal residency status. Or whatever. The place before that just wanted a credit check and two months of pay stubs, which they didn't care about after running the credit check. The place before that wanted bank statements and pay stubs. But they didn't question me on individual items on the statements, they were looking for consistent balances.

anonymous

I think it will all depend on your budget - you sound nice from this blog and if you have good financials for your price range, you should be able to find something. Summer is not a particularly good time to look though as there will be very little inventory.

What is your price range and how many beds do you need/want?

doctorj

You'd be better off getting a loan and buying a place: a bank doesn't require as much documentation as your prospective nutso landlord.

faycat

Hey thanks guys, you're all making me feel a lot better. Perhaps I'm overreacting, I had that bad experience with one realtor/landlord and I started to freak out thinking that it will always be that way and something crazy must have changed in the rental market since I last moved 5 years ago! I'm panicking a little because I'm worried that if I tell my landlord that I don't want to renew my lease and give my 30 days notice but then cannot find anything, I'll be totally screwed. I've never worried about that before, but now I've gotten a look at the rental market and the inventory is alarmingly low.

reallp, we're looking for a 1-plus or 2 bdrm, or even a very large 1 bdrm (large like 800-900 sq ft) and would like to keep the rent at around $2200, but we're a little flexible on that. I really want to be in Ft. Greene south of the park, with a short walk to the C and walkable (doesn't have to be really short) walk to Atlantic Terminal. Would also consider Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, or No. Park Slope, but I thought we'd have a better chance at a better price in Ft. Greene (and I like it better there). Perhaps we're being picky or unrealistic? My two big priorities are that it be cat friendly and have a good kitchen. Apparently one or the other of those two requirements are locking me out of a lot of apartments. There are apparently a lot of cat haters who don't cook...

daver, I think the reason he was picking over my bank statement was because he thought my balance looked inconsistent when I had to make a somewhat large purchase that month to pay for my dad's funeral. The weird thing is that the deposit I made once my dad's annuity paid out was more than three times the amount I paid out for the funeral and came very quickly afterward - less than a month - and was reflected on the same statement. So at the end of the month, my balance was significantly higher than at the beginning, but he was still calling me out on how low it was at the beginning. The crappy thing about that is that it clearly says on my bank statement what companies those purchases were made with - Everlife Memorials, Clavin Funeral Home, etc. I mean, seriously, what did he think it was for?! I guess I should have paid for that stuff with a credit card so it wouldn't be on my bank statement!

boygabriel

faycat wrote: we're looking for a 1-plus or 2 bdrm, or even a very large 1 bdrm (large like 800-900 sq ft) and would like to keep the rent at around $2200, but we're a little flexible on that. I really want to be in Ft. Greene south of the park, with a short walk to the C and walkable (doesn't have to be really short) walk to Atlantic Terminal.

That seems like a reasonable budget for those apt parameters. If you're willing to pay a broker's fee you should be able to find something like that.

escap

I agree. I just finished an apt search and didn't have to go through anything like the invasiveness you were put through. Those prices also are probably about right, depending on the exact condition and location. Getting pet-friendly places can be hard if you're in a brownstone where the owners live above you, and a lot of these old historic buildings do have very cramped kitchens. But don't give up looking, this is definitely a great area.

anonymous

Subject: Re: giving up on the apt search

Two months feels (and is) a long haul! I concur that you shouldn't give up. Maybe just scale back the intensity of your search to you can get your second wind. (I just finished a year-long search to buy a place, so I truly empathize.) I concur with reallp (Thu Jul 26, 2007 3:36 pm poster) that inventory isn't always plentiful around the summer. Hang in there, and wait and see if the fall doesn't bring you the right apartment. Bear in mind that you're doing one of the most aggravating things in NYC - looking for a place to live - so a protracted search and a few disappointments and bumps in the road are the norm, rather than the exception. Onward!

faycat

Okay, another question. Is it normal for a realty company to make you fill out an application BEFORE you even see an apartment? This company I've never heard of won't give me any info or even set an appointment time unless I've filled out the application. The other day I also met a very shady realtor who both wouldn't tell me what the broker fee is, and didn't even tell me what company he was with, but wanted me to get in his car and go to the office to fill out all of the paperwork. Then when I said I had another appointment, he asked if he could go with me and pretend he was my friend. When I said no, he asked me what the address was. Gross.

daver

Don't deal with people like that. It will bite you in the butt. Move on.

faycat

Yeah, that's what I thought, thanks. There's just no way that a broker should need me to fill out an application before I even know if I want the apt. What reason could they possibly have for claiming that that's a necessity? God, real estate is so lame.

boygabriel

faycat wrote: The other day I also met a very shady realtor who both wouldn't tell me what the broker fee is, and didn't even tell me what company he was with, but wanted me to get in his car and go to the office to fill out all of the paperwork. Then when I said I had another appointment, he asked if he could go with me and pretend he was my friend. When I said no, he asked me what the address was. Gross.

that's really, really shady

leffertsgirl

faycat wrote: Yeah, that's what I thought, thanks. There's just no way that a broker should need me to fill out an application before I even know if I want the apt. What reason could they possibly have for claiming that that's a necessity? God, real estate is so lame.

i'm almost positive they want you to fill out the paperwork first so that they have your info on file for future follow ups. so basically, if you don't like the apartment they show you and decide to move on, they can continue to contact (harrass) you about other properties.

faycat

LeffertsGirl wrote: [quote=faycat]Yeah, that's what I thought, thanks. There's just no way that a broker should need me to fill out an application before I even know if I want the apt. What reason could they possibly have for claiming that that's a necessity? God, real estate is so lame.

i'm almost positive they want you to fill out the paperwork first so that they have your info on file for future follow ups. so basically, if you don't like the apartment they show you and decide to move on, they can continue to contact (harrass) you about other properties.Other realtors have had no problem continuing to harass me having only my phone number. I agree that's probably why they ask for the application, but it just doesn't justify needing my employer info and the names and numbers of references. What, do they want to harass my boss and my friends too? And they absolutely don't need my social security number!

anonymous

Subject: annoyed

hi. i live on the other side of this coin. i live in a building that has been for sale for nearly 2 years. we are on the second broker who was supposed to be "better" than the first one who left dead rats in our gates and hallways and threatened us and spammed us too. the new one harasses us several times a week to show our apartments and if we don't reply immediately starts resorting to trying to pit us against the landlord or threaten eviction or rent increases and general obnoxious disgusting behavior. he will tell us 2 people are coming and show up with 10 and invite random people off the street to walk thru our homes and case them.

what is my point? real estate brokers are the lowest form of life and will resort to anything to make their little commisisons. if you can find an apartment direct from a landlord and aboid the broker all together, that is best. I don't know if you can curse on here or not, but if you could I would have a whole bunch of them for the brokers who destroyed our neighborhood and are continuing to do it worse. I am about to make an account as I see I need to be posting on here. Peace.[/i]

faycat

Believe me, I really wish I could find a place directly from an owner. The whole reason I started searching so early (3 months before the date that I want to move) was because I was hoping that with enough time, I could avoid using a broker. But I'm having a lot of trouble finding any apts direct from owner, I think it's probably just that there isn't much inventory in the neighborhood of any kind. It's pathetic how much I've been scouring Craigslist, Backpage, NY Times, etc. and how little has come of it. I don't think it's ever been this bad in the rental market.

escap

Subject: Re: annoyed

Anonymous wrote: hi. i live on the other side of this coin. i live in a building that has been for sale for nearly 2 years. we are on the second broker who was supposed to be "better" than the first one who left dead rats in our gates and hallways and threatened us and spammed us too. the new one harasses us several times a week to show our apartments and if we don't reply immediately starts resorting to trying to pit us against the landlord or threaten eviction or rent increases and general obnoxious disgusting behavior. he will tell us 2 people are coming and show up with 10 and invite random people off the street to walk thru our homes and case them.

what is my point? real estate brokers are the lowest form of life and will resort to anything to make their little commisisons. if you can find an apartment direct from a landlord and aboid the broker all together, that is best. I don't know if you can curse on here or not, but if you could I would have a whole bunch of them for the brokers who destroyed our neighborhood and are continuing to do it worse. I am about to make an account as I see I need to be posting on here. Peace.[/i]

Hahaha, this post is funny. Welcome to the board.

To faycat, there are plans to build a few tens of thousands of units in the area next few years; perhaps you've heard some of the rumblings. That should help with the inventory shortage.

anonymous

I can understand filling out an application, or being pre approved before showing a property to someone for a couple of reasons: You know what they can afford, some people are window shopping and will waste your time, security - you know who you have in your car/property, do they qualify for what you are showing them i.e pets, smoking, employed. The s.s. number can be left off but the more info you have can be to the shoppers advantage if there is a competitive situation.